WWYD - to potty train or not to potty train this is the question

[Wonderstuff]

DD is 20mo, she has started telling me when she has done a wee and asking to have nappy changed. We use cloth at home but disposibles out and a nappy change after every wee is going to get expensive quite soon!

She has only really started doing this today

This morning she got her potty (we got one ages ago when someone at toddler group was telling me she got her 6mo to poo in the potty) and told me she had wee wee. She freaked out when I took her nappy off and encouraged her to sit on the potty, she wanted nappy back on but to sit on potty with trousers round her ankles.

So WWYD? 20mo seems very young to me and I have no idea how to start. HELP!

She's not too young. She's letting you know what she wants to do. Maybe when you are at home leave her nappy off and the potty in easy reach. You'll see the signs when she wants a wee-just whisk her on the potty. You may have a couple of accidents but your daughter sounds very ready-she'll soon learn.

Go with it. Encourage her to sit on it; let her put her teddy on it, let her sit on it when she wakes up and before her bath. Put it IN the bath if you have to. My DS had been out of nappies for 2 months at this age.

ok, will let you know how it goes [scared]

My son is the same, he is very interested in the toilet/potty, doesn't like wearing nappies and does his poos and wees as soon as I take his nappy off lol!

We gave potty training a go last weekend and it was a disaster!! He will sit on the potty and loves pretending to wee and poo on it (tends to trump a lot on it!) but as soon as he wants to go he gets off the potty and does it on the floor!! Any advice?? Is it too early for him? I'm not fussed about doing it early but I'm not sure whether to persevere or just carry on putting him in nappies.

Z xx

It means she is on her way to being potty trained. The first step is knowing that she has done a wee - the next step is when she knows she is about to do a wee. That's when you can offer her the potty or toilet.

If she wants to sit on the potty with her nappy on let her - if she freaks out if you try and take her nappy off then leave it. She'll do it when she's ready. Just be open to her needs and follow her lead. I strongly believe that child-led toilet training is much quicker, easier and more reliable than parent-initiated toilet training.

Sidge that sounds like a good plan. Today she didn't want her jeans on, wanted her pj's because she could pull them up and down. Thought I'd see what she would do with pjs and no nappy, she wet herself and that seemed to take her by surprise and upset her a bit so I think we'll stick with the nappies and see how it goes over the next few weeks...